From DU teacher to farm stir activist, Anuroop now ready for poll debut as SSM candidate

Keenly looking forward to make her electoral debut for the fledgling farmers’ outfit, Sandhu has been on leave from her job as a DU college teacher. “I am working out technicalities as whether I should resign (from the college teacher job) or not because I am not on regular rolls and have this job on ad hoc basis. I am waiting for the management’s decision on this. Hence, as of now, I am on leave,” she says.

Sandhu, who belongs to a farmer’s family, hails from Kanianwali village in Muktsar district. “Until class 10, I studied in Muktsar. I studied in a convent school in the city where I used to commute daily from my village by a school van. I did my class 11 and 12 from Mussoorie and later got admission in Delhi University for BA and for my MA in English. I worked briefly in 2017 in a Chandigarh college as well, and since early 2018 I have been working in Delhi while also pursuing my MPhil in comparative Indian Literature from DU,” she says.

It was during farmers’ agitation that Sandhu got in touch with the SKM and started visiting the protest site on Delhi’s borders regularly. “I even started a blog on the human cost suffered in the course of farmers’ protests in which I tried to compile deaths of all those who died during the agitation. The SKM has been using that data. I also created awareness on social media about their agitation and did my best to help them in mobilising funds. But compiling data of people who died was a major project which I undertook. After the dharna was lifted, I was ready as a volunteer for the SKM and when some farmer unions of Punjab decided to contest polls, I was willing to work as a campaigner or to do whatever task they assigned me. I applied for my candidature from Muktsar and was overwhelmed when they nominated me as the candidate.”

Recalling farmers’ year-long protests and her family’s solidarity with them, Sandhu says, “When farmers used to sit on hunger strike at Singhu and Tikri, my parents used to do hunger strikes in their home in Muktsar. I am from a family of activists and hence my parents always encouraged me to do something for a cause. One year of farmers’ protest deeply touched me…on how people were made to live on the roads…the human cost involved. I had thus made up my mind that I will not sit back quietly after the morcha ends.”

Acknowledging that she will be pitted against “big wigs of mainstream parties” in the Muktsar seat., she says, “I am a novice in politics but I have a passion to bring a change in society and I am confident that I will make an impact on mainstream politics. I think I will win but even if I don’t win, a resounding message will be sent across that everyone will be held accountable if people don’t like their work.”

Sandhu’s younger brother and elder sister are in Australia, but her parents are supporting her campaign in Muktsar. Her family had about three acres of farmland in Kanianwali village, which they sold off as they shifted to Muktsar city.

Her father Gurshinder Pal Singh Sandhu, 61, who believed in providing best education to his children, says: “I am here to support my daughter. I am so proud that she decided to contest the election. I am also happy that she contributed to the Kisan aandolan (agitation) all along.”

Hoping that she will be able to bring a change in politics in her own way, Anuroop Kaur Sandhu criticises mainstream parties for their bids to woo voters by promising them a range of freebies. “Freebies being announced by political parties limit the choices of villagers. I keep telling women that maybe tomorrow many families will stop sending their girls for higher studies or for jobs saying that they are getting Rs 1000 or Rs 2000 a month anyways (as pledged by some parties as part of their poll announcements). So what is the need to work or study. It will severely affect society,” she reasons.

Sandhu is proficient in several languages including English, Punjabi, Hindi and even Spanish. She says she has a passion to learn new languages. “I give online tuitions for Spanish as well…I do get involved in translation projects as well i.e from English to Punjabi and vice versa. Currently, I am involved in a project of translating a poem from Bengali to Punjabi. Passion to learn should never stop…we need to keep going.”

Her mother Kiranjeet Kaur Sandhu, who used to support protesting farmers by observing fast at her house, says, “Everyone talks about changing the political system, so when someone takes initiative, masses who need this change must support them. I am always there for my daughter. I am very proud of her.”